It might be surprising to learn that, as shown in FIG. 1, new discoveries of light crude peaked in the 1970 and have continued a downward yearly trend so that the future availability of light crude in sufficient quantities is uncertain. The massive oil reserve discoveries that are reported almost monthly are mainly heavy and extra heavy crudes with API gravity of less than 10 degrees (Speight, 1999). The demand for light crude as a diluent for heavier crudes combined with the decrease in discoveries of light crude oil create the dawning of a supply crisis that requires the invention of an alternative solution to make heavy crudes and extra heavy crudes into the lighter crudes.
The heavy crudes that include Mexico's Maya, Venezuela's Merey and Canada's Western Canadian Select (WSC) are all nominally API 16 degrees. The countries with the world's largest crude oil reserves are Venezuela and Saudi Arabia with each boasting 300 billion barrels. However, half of the reserves of Venezuela are extra heavy crude oil and only ten percent (10%) of the reserves of Saudi Arabia are extra heavy crude oil. It is generally accepted that extra heavy oil is uneconomical to produce using present technology when the market for crude oil is below sixty dollars ($60) a barrel. This fact sets a foundation for the urgency of making extra heavy crude oil available to fill the demand for petroleum products. The present invention offers a superior cost effect alternative to present technology to aid the industry in the production of extra heavy crude oil.
In the present invention, the preferred embodiment of the Primary Component is the chemical isosorbide dimethyl ether. This chemical can be synthesized, in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst, from isosorbide, alkali and chloromethane (Zhao et al, (2011)).